Why visit cemetery

Manhattan has a few small graveyards, but none to spend an afternoon in, and the vast burying grounds of Brooklyn and Queens remain fairly anonymous. I've visited burial grounds both modest and magnificent, strange and familiar: dusty catacombs in Naples and decaying mummies in Guanajuato, Mexico; tiny graveyards on the Nebraska plains, holding westbound settlers who perished along the way, their final resting place marked with hastily erected wrought-iron crosses; and the American Cemetery in Normandy, where I once happened upon the marker of a World War II soldier with the same name as me.

I locate graveyards before I set off, mark them on my maps, admire them at my leisure. It's anything but egalitarian, but it's still much-loved. On the east side of Cairo is a vast cemetery that has been there since the seventh century. Ask a cabdriver to take you to the City of the Dead, and he'll dart through traffic to an unexpectedly quiet neighborhood, made quieter still by the pitiless heat, and drop you solemnly at the gates.

Inside, you'll find not just mile upon mile of tombs and monuments but as many as half a million Cairenes, very much alive, who have taken up residence inside the crypts and vaults.

Victims of the city's perpetual housing shortage, they occupy the only real estate they can find. In some spots you'll see electricity and water siphoned off from Cairo's grid, dogs roaming and children playing, schools and a post office. Once, while I was on a motorcycle trip from Kathmandu, Nepal, over the Himalayas to Lhasa, I pulled off the road on the Tibetan Plateau, some 18, feet above sea level, to visit a sky burial site. Up there, where the ground is too hard to dig a grave and fuel too scarce to burn a body, deceased Buddhists are laid out for carrion birds to consume, a kind of natural recycling process.

The ceremony itself is considered too private to allow for onlookers, but the spots where it's performed are easy to find: look for prayer flags flying at the highest spot in the area. Perhaps the most magnificent I've seen is the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, a massive plot of land outside St.

During World War II, some , Soviet citizens were buried there, in mass graves hurriedly dug in an enormous field. The commissions often work directly with the local parishes and funeral homes to provide convenient and comprehensive coverage for the Catholics during the time of grief.

The commissions often sponsor websites that can assist the bereaved by making information about the cemeteries available. Local parishes can often provide similar information.

The cemetery is a place for families and friends to reflect on the lives of the deceased and the personal impact the deceased made upon their own life. Visiting the grave site is done with respect and honor, demonstrating a respectful, peaceful spirit. It is appropriate to bring flowers or wreaths to adorn the grave site.

Minor housekeeping tasks like discarding trash or cleaning and weeding around the gravestone are ways to show respect for the deceased and family. The one who visits the cemetery is preserving the memory of the deceased for all who will visit at later times. Though there are not prescribed times for visitation at cemeteries within the Catholic tradition, many find comfort and strength on visiting the grave site of a loved one on special occasions or holidays.

It is appropriate for family and friends to visit on the birthday of the deceased, the wedding anniversary of the deceased, the anniversary of the death, or other special holidays. Some families pick a special day of the year to have loved ones gather and visit several grave sites on the same day.

Very well written, Jeff! I go by my parents gravesite about every week or two. I like this history you have given to this writing! There are areas in the USA that this is not done, or family do not live near by. She and her sister always did, and I continue to do so! Mom did and I continue to do so…. I will place flowers there too! Thanks for your blog, Jeff and your impute on Memorial Day …. The body becomes deceased and the Spirit moves on.

Ok I watched my mother visit grave sites, and some was buried on the property of family members, but at know time was it explained why you go to grave site. Tradition, seems to be the only explanation.

Everybodys following what they see others do and when they are asked they make up the reason. Is not visiting someone when they are alive disrespectful.

Kind of out dated right now, and that depends on where in world you come from. Can someone give me a historical reason or reasons? I ask all nationalities. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.